Guilty and sentenced to life for his role in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh,Shamsher Singh on Thursday moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking directions to the Patiala Court for expeditiously deciding his representation demanding release from jail.

Shamsher Singh has been behind bars for nearly 17 years. In his petition sent through the jail superintendent,Shamsher Singh said he had already spent 17 years behind bars; and his conduct was above board.

Shamsher has further submitted that two communications were submitted to the jail authorities in May and June this year for premature release. The communications were forwarded to the Patiala District Magistrate for opinion. But no decision has been taken till now by the Magistrate. The high court adjourned the case till September 26.

On October 12,2010 the high court had commuted death sentence of Jagtar Singh Hawara,chief

conspirator in the case,to life imprisonment. The high court had made it clear that Hawara will rot in jail till his natural death. Other convicts,Lakhwinder Singh,Gurmeet Singh and truck driver Shamsher Singh